Saturday April 6th from 11am to 3pm Sardos Pizza is hosting a fundraiser to support the mission of Books for Troops. Volunteer Tina Martin is the hostess and will be accepting paperback books in excellent condition and financial contributions. Santo Sardo, owner of Sardos Pizza, has pledged a portion of sales during the event for postage.
“We love it when our volunteers come up with great fundraising projects like this. We have had volunteers host lemonade stands, business owners with contribution buckets, raffles and a lot of fun parties. All of our volunteers have such great energy and a passion for our mission. I really feel we are the luckiest little charity in Tampa Bay,” said Patricia Murphy Executive Director of Books for Troops.
Sardos Pizza at 10839 Ulmerton Rd across from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s office serves authentic New York Pizza but that’s not the only reason people drive for miles. “You know dat guy from Seinfeld? Da soup Nazi? Yeah, that’s Santo alright…the Pizza Nazi,” said a customer.
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If anyone has pizza in the blood it’s Sardo. "I was literally born on a flour sack," says Sardo who began learning about Italian cuisine at the age of five in the family pizzeria. He came to Florida with them in 1979 when he was 15 and worked in pizzerias they operated in Largo.
Books for Troops isn’t the first charity Sardo has helped over the years. All Children’s Hospital and local religious and charitable organizations have also benefited from Sardos generosity. “Helping the troops is always good,” said a customer.
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Since its inception, in 2011, Books for Troops has shipped over 15,000 books to troops overseas and delivered 4000 books to local veterans. “It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve those that do so much for us every day,” said Murphy.
If you would like to volunteer, host a collection box or make a donation please contact Patricia Murphy for more information at BooksforTroops@verizon.net or friend them on Facebook.com/BooksforTroops.
HISTORY
In May 2011, while delivering magazines to the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Patricia Murphy was approached by a young man in a wheelchair.
Murphy said, “This young man that couldn’t have been more than 20 years old and had lost his leg in the war was thanking me. He said “Being here, remembering has been so hard...the magazines help me get through it. Help me keep my mind off everything.” We chatted for a little while and he said he wished he had an outlet like reading while he was deployed. He wasn’t living on base then. He lived in a tent on the outskirts of a small village in Iraq. I thanked him for his service and as I stepped into the elevator I burst into tears. When I got home I realized that this was a project that means something to people. It’s little but it makes a huge difference and that was the beginning of Books for Troops.”